Since many horse owners are un-able to put their horses on
properly sized fields, it becomes necessary and convenient for most horse
owners to feed their horses in a stall. In this article, we at WW Training & Instruction will try
to lay out a useful albeit general comparison of some of the important
facts about how horses eat in their natural God given
environment and how they should therefore eat in a stall.
Below are a few of the important facts necessary to make a
good comparison between the two.

In their natural environment

While in their natural environment, grazing horses are able to wander,
thereby encouraging the horse to eat just the grass tops and stalks
not all the way down to the roots. By eating just the top of the grass, it is not only much
easier for the grass to grow back, but it is also much more hygienic
for the horses because it is much more difficult for the horse to
ingest dirt, sand, feces and parasites which tend to be located
closer to the ground. Also, when in a large open field, those same
feces and parasites are exposed to the rain, wind and sun where it
is easy for them to be broken down and changed into fertilizer which
helps keep the field and thereby the horse healthy. Another
important fact to point out is that while in their natural environment,
horses graze the grass
from near ground level with their heads lowered. When a horse's head
is lowered, it's lower jaw is placed in a different position then
when it's head is raised which makes it's teeth meet properly (as God designed
them to) for chewing. Also, when the horse's head is lowered, the
muscles and ligaments across the neck and back are allowed to relax
and stretch, and mucous can flow downhill with gravity against the
flow of dust and mold spores to help keep the horse's airway clean
and healthy.

In a stall

A stalled horse is not allowed to wander but must eat from a
fixed location. This may pose a problem because of higher concentrations
of dirt, sand, feces and parasites which can be detrimental to the
horse's health. In a stall, the sand and dirt is not held together by
moisture and grass roots like they are in a field and the parasites
and fecal matter are not exposed to the rain, wind and sun and
therefore are not easily broken down. Therefore, it is important to use hygienic feeding routines to compensate for the
tighter and more un-natural quarters.
Stalls should be cleaned minimally once per day to eliminate buildup
of parasites and fecal matter. It is useful to place a smooth rubber mat or other
easily cleaned material on the ground in order to make the floor
easier to clean and also to cover the dry dirt and sand so that the
horse does not ingest dirt and sand while eating. When feeding the horse, hay should be placed in a clean area on
the mat and if grain is fed, a rubber tub or other suitable feeding
bowl on top of the mat works well to help prevent the feed from
spreading off of the mat while the horse eats. The mat should be
swept and feed tub
should be cleaned prior to each feeding.

In conclusion:

While in a stall, it is usually best to try to provide as natural
of a feeding environment as possible. A stalled horse as a rule of
thumb should be able to eat from the same level that it was designed
to eat from if at all possible. That is, ground level. Again, a
clean smooth surface as described above to feed the horse on makes
it much easier to keep clean of dirt, sand, feces and parasites. However, it is our opinion based on many years experience with feeding,
training and caring for horses that there are differences between individual horses and
therefore, horses must be managed on an individual basis. For
example, it is true that it is more natural for horses to eat from
ground level, but if you have a horse that is nervous and paces back
and forth in the stall, the hay and grain would be trampled.
Therefore, the beneficial effects of having that particular horse
eat from ground level are outweighed by the detrimental effect of
the horse trampling the hay and grain into the ground or bedding
material. In this case, it may be necessary to give
these horses a hay manger and/or feed bin to
prevent the horse from mixing it's feed into the bedding. If a hay
manger or feed bin is necessary, then it is important to mount it at
a height that is comfortable for the horse to reach into.

Just remember that anytime that a horse's natural environment or
habits are modified, there will be a reaction. This reaction may or may
not be detrimental to the horse's health or well being but must be
taken into consideration.